Tom Belts the Captain
by Mill3rs
Summary: Tom makes a few "improvements" on the ship.


*Disclaimer: Paramount owns the StarTrek Universe, I've just borrowed them for a while!  
  
Thanks to: CatC for her friendship and editing abilities. and for the cattle prod she uses to get me to write! :D  
  
Tom Belts the Captain  
  
Tom Paris, after a grueling and nerve wracking piloting class with Icheb, was walking through the hallway heading towards the holodeck. 'I really need to relax after that lesson!' he thought. "Tom Paris to B'elanna Torres" he said into his combadge. When she answered, he told her "That lesson was pretty rough, I'm going into the holodeck to calm down for a while, do you want to join me?"  
  
"Thanks, but I'm busy." replied his wife. "The induction coils are out of alignment again, and you know how I hate that."  
  
He smiled to himself, well knowing how grumpy she got when things in engineering were beyond her control. "All right, I'll see you later for dinner?" She answered affirmatively. He reached holodeck 2 and stood by the control panel, trying to decide which program he wanted to run. He scrolled through Sandrine's, Fairhaven, and several others when he finally saw one that would fit the relaxation he was hoping for. When the doors opened and he walked into the holodeck, he immediately relaxed when he saw the garage with his '69 Camaro. He could feel the tension in his shoulders melt away.  
  
"Ahh" he sighed, and he walked up to the car, rubbed it's sides, polished an invisible scuff mark, and grinned the silly grin of a teenager in love. He opened the door, and sat down in the driver's seat. He turned on the radio, and ditties from the 20th century played out of the speakers. One was a Beach Boys tune. He decided that he wanted to take a long drive, to let out his frustrations. Icheb was learning quickly, but there were times that Tom just had to close his eyes. As much as his wife was a perfectionist in engineering, he was also one as a pilot, and he cringed when others made mistakes that he knew he wouldn't have. He had always done this, from the time his father taught him how to fly when he was a boy.  
  
He opened the garage door, and got back into the car. Before he pulled out of the driveway, he drew the seat belt across his lap. 'Might as well be authentic.' he thought. As the miles rolled by on a scenic road overlooking a beach, he realized just how much he hated being a passenger. This was why he never stayed on the bridge very long before or after his shifts, he hated to see others in his seat, making mistakes. He began to nod off, as the sound of the seagulls, and the hum of the tires on the road droned on and lulled him to sleep.  
  
Next thing Tom knew, he and his car were plunging off the cliff onto the beach below.  
  
Even though he knew the safety protocols were on, he was afraid for his life! When the car finally crashed on the beach, Tom realized that he was relatively unhurt, and tried to figure out why. After all, with a tumble like that, he would have been thrown to the floor if that kind of crash happened on the bridge! When he got his wits about him, he realized that the seat belt was still around him tightly, and that he was safe. This began a subconscious thought process in the back of his mind, and he just sat there, staring at the surf, not believing his luck.  
  
He decided to go for a short swim, which completely relaxed him. He had instructed the computer to change the water temperature to be as warm as the hot tub that he and B'elanna often enjoyed together, after particularly stressful days. When they had gotten married, the hot tub was a joint gift from the Captain and the Commander.  
  
B'elanna and Harry both noticed Tom's relaxed posture as he walked towards them in the mess hall. They shared a quick smile, and greeted him as he sat down. "Hi guys!" Tom waved.  
  
"You sure look relaxed. Did Icheb do well today?" Harry grinned.  
  
Tom cringed, "Not exactly, I've just spent the last 2 hours in the holodeck winding down!"  
  
B'elanna smiled, "Let me guess, you were playing with your toy. You boys and your toys!" she huffed, with a smirk aimed at her husband. She squeezed his hand under the table to show him she was just joking.  
  
Harry got excited, "Your toy? What toy?"  
  
Tom glared quickly at his wife, "Um, well, Harry, I have this 20th Century classic gas powered land vehicle that I have been fixing up. I like to work with my hands to relax. That is why I had so much fun designing and building the Delta Flyer!" He looked up sheepishly at his friend, wondering what his reaction would be, since he just exposed his favorite holoprogram that he intended to keep a secret.  
  
Harry was beaming, "You mean you've been getting your hands greasy and never called me? I would love to see this program!"  
  
Tom smiled at his ever-enthusiastic friend. "Well, I had promised B'elanna a night together tonight, so can we go together another time?"  
  
"It's a date." Harry teased, then turned a little somber. "It seems this is the only kind of date I'm going to get." he pouted a little.  
  
That night, Tom and B'elanna were snuggling together in front of the television set that she had made him, and eating popcorn. "I was thinking." Tom said. "I have a project for you and me. We can collaborate." and he winked at her. They talked about this brainstorm for a while, B'elanna having turned off the television set since Tom's eyes kept wandering in that direction. When they were both satisfied with the idea, they moved on to other subjects. "I was also thinking," Tom said, "Harry's face really fell tonight when we were talking about dating. I think we need to set him up!"  
  
B'elanna eyed him, "So, who do you have in mind? And does she have any clue?"  
  
Tom winked mischievously, "Of course not! I was actually thinking of Seven. I have it by authority, but I'm not supposed to diverge, that she is ready for 'social interaction' Soooo..." he stopped, smile ever broadening.  
  
B'elanna smiled wickedly, "You are a bad boy, Mr. Paris." and grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.  
  
The next morning, Tom went to the bridge early, and brought a bundle with him. He removed some objects from the bundle and fiddled with his chair. He then moved to the Captain's chair and finally to Commander Chakotay's, repeating the process on each chair.  
  
When Lt. Commander Tuvock reported to his station, he noticed that Lt. Paris was already on the bridge. He cocked his head, lifted an eyebrow, and said, "Curious. Lt. Paris, Is there something wrong with your chronometer? You are early this morning. In the 7 years we have been in the Delta Quadrant, you have never been early for your shift."  
  
Tom looked up from under Chakotay's chair and grinned at him. "I'm just making some improvements." He then made the last few adjustments and put his bundle away. He walked over to his chair, and, hearing the turbolift getting louder, hastily readied himself for his shift.  
  
When the Captain walked onto the bridge, she stopped. She noticed that Lt. Paris was already in his chair. She almost said something, but decided to let it go. As she turned to sit in her chair, she immediately noticed the alteration. She looked for Chakotay, who had not yet arrived. She looked around the bridge, and, seeing that Tom was intent on working hard - but not doing much of anything - she cleared her throat. "Ahem, Mr. Paris, can you explain this 'addition' to my chair?"  
  
Tom turned around, with a big win her over smile on his face. "I wasn't sure you would notice, Captain. I installed seat belts on our chairs, after having a spill on the holodeck. I was," 'in a car on the holodeck' he added in his head "struck by the idea when researching 20th century vehicles. I thought, with your permission, of course," and flashed his smile again "we could give them a try!" He swiveled around towards the Captain, demonstrating that he was already wearing his seat belt. "They are a safety measure that has been long forgotten, and I, for one, am tired of getting thrown out of my seat every time we get a volley of enemy fire." and looked again at the Captain for her reaction.  
  
"Mr. Paris, I understand your fascination with outdated technology, but seat belts haven't been needed in starships since inertial dampeners were invented. I really don't think these are necessary."  
  
Just then, the turbolift doors opened and Commander Chakotay and Ensign Kim walked onto the bridge. Harry went straight to his station. The Chakotay walked around the console until he reached his chair. Keeping an eye on the Captain, he sat down in his customary chair, and felt a bump underneath him as he put his full weight down on the chair. Jumping up, he yelped "What is this?" and tried to pull the belt off of his chair.  
  
Captain Janeway chuckled. "Its a 20th century 'improvement' installed courtesy of Lt. Paris. He thought we needed to be belted into our seats."  
  
Chakotay looked over at the sheepishly grinning Tom and said "We don't need these, Lieutenant. The stabilizers are enough to keep us in our seats, we don't jolt forward anymore, like the vehicles in the 20th century." he said with a grin. "But, I like the nostalgia effect." and he quickly belted himself into the chair, wiggling about as if trying out the fit.  
  
Tom flashed Chakotay, a fellow history buff, a quick grin before turning around and looking at his console.  
  
A beep from Harry's console was heard. Janeway and Chakotay turned, in unison, to hear the report from Harry.  
  
There is something on my sensors that can't be picked up by the screens. I'm not quite sure what it is yet, but I'm working on it." Harry had a worried scowl on his face as he concentrated on his console, trying to figure out the mystery.  
  
Tuvock confirmed the anomaly "I, too, have it on my sensors, but am unable to determine what the object is." he said, with a vulcan touch of annoyance in his voice that only the Captain seemed to notice.  
  
Harry sighed in relief, 'well, at least he can't figure it out either!' and he let out a small grin. He looked around and was relieved that no one caught his brief slip.  
  
Seven of Nine's voice was now heard over the communicators "Captain, there is a spatial anomaly in our trajectory, we need to alter our course to avoid it."  
  
"What kind of anomaly is it?" asked the Captain.  
  
"I am unsure, it is nothing I have ever seen before." answered Seven.  
  
'Wow' thought Tom, 'She actually admitted not knowing about something, she really has changed a lot since she came here,' He turned to look at the Captain, awaiting her orders.  
  
"All stop." said the Captain.  
  
Tom immediately carried out those orders, and echoed her words "All stop, Captain."  
  
"We need to study this anomaly if Seven, and thus the Borg, have never seen it." she said. "Sensors on full, I want to know what this thing is." She got up and walked to her ready room. She smiled at Chakotay, "You have the Con."  
  
'I know what she's doing.' thought Chakotay, 'She's going to check out all of the sensor data herself. The science officer inside her is curious.' and he smiled. He unbuckled his seat belt and moved over to the command chair. He sat on the edge of it, willing himself to see what wasn't being picked up by the screen. "Is it dangerous, Mr. Kim?"  
  
Harry looked up from his data "I'm not sure, Commander. I've never quite seen anything like it before. All of the data isn't in yet." and he went back to work analyzing the information.  
  
At the end of their shift, B'elanna and Tom were eating together in the mess hall, and noticed that Harry was nowhere around. "Computer, where is Ensign Kim?" Tom said.  
  
"Ensign Kim in Astrometrics." replied the computer, through his combadge.  
  
B'elanna and Tom shared a conspiratorial grin. "They are working together again." said Tom as he wiggled his eyebrows.  
  
"Tom, you know that she is 'All work and no play'." chided B'elanna. "You just wish that they were socializing."  
  
Tom replied, "B'el, I'm sure that all of this time together between them just has to be blooming into something, at least a friendship... that other friends can just nudge a little..." and he grinned again, leaving off the end of his thought.  
  
B'elanna shook her head at her husband, "I see, you want all of your friends to be as happy as we are?" she smiled. Then she leaned forward, whispering, "Why don't we go back to our quarters and prove how happy we can be!" and winked at him.  
  
The next morning, Tom walked on the bridge with a big grin. Chakotay noticed this and commented, "Another idea, Mr. Paris?" and smiled at him, motioning to his seat belt - which he had fastened.  
  
Tom grinned, 'Nope, just a wonderful wife!' he thought. "Nope, just happy to be at work!" he said. After he sat down at his console he turned to Chakotay, noticing the Captain hadn't arrived yet, and said, "So, are we going anywhere today, or am I just going to look at my console all shift?" and he flashed a grin.  
  
Chakotay smiled, "I'm not sure, Tom. We'll have to wait for the Captain's orders." he answered, though he knew what she was going to say. They had discussed it at dinner together the previous night. She had decided to get closer to the anomaly to get better readings.  
  
As if she knew she was being talked about, the Captain entered the bridge.  
  
"Captain on the bridge!" Harry shouted.  
  
"At ease, Ensign, before you sprain something!" replied the Captain, with a big grin, remembering when they first met, she had said that to him.  
  
"Orders, Captain?" suggested Tom, impatient to get moving again.  
  
The Captain surveyed the bridge, noticing that both Tom and Chakotay had their seat belts fastened, as if hinting that they wanted to get moving. "Follow our original course, Mr. Paris. I want to get a little closer to this anomaly to get some better readings. Don't get us too close, just enough to get some good facts." she commanded.  
  
"Yes, Ma'am!" Tom said, exuberantly, eager to get under way.  
  
As they closed in on the 'anomaly', Tom noticed that the helm was getting harder to control, but chose not to say anything since he knew he could handle it. "How close did you say you wanted to be, Captain?"  
  
"Just a little closer, Lt." she said as she edged forward in her chair.  
  
As Voyager skirted the anomaly, she was in full sensor mode, every bit of information was being collected. Suddenly, the ship tremored as the anomaly started to shift.  
  
They were too close to get away in time, and the ship was shaken violently. People were jarred out of their seats, and equipment thrown about the ship by the shockwave.  
  
When the Captain got up from the floor, she noticed that both Chakotay and Tom were still in their seats, unharmed. They were both grinning at her, knowing that their new safety measures had just passed their first test. "All right, you two. At ease!" and she settled herself into her chair, now putting on her seatbelt as well. "Damage report!"  
  
"Captain, the anomaly has just dissipated." said Harry, incredulously.  
  
"My sensors confirm Mr. Kim's assessment." responded Tuvock quickly.  
  
"Well, let's run a full sensor sweep, do we know what it was yet?" asked the Captain. She walked over to Harry's console and looked at the readings over his shoulder.  
  
'I don't get it.' she thought, 'Just when we were getting good data from it, the anomaly just disappeared! This is going to haunt me until I can figure out what it was...' "Seven, were you able to get enough information?" she asked into her communicator, looking up towards the ceiling - as if she could see Seven by looking up.  
  
"Captain, I am still processing the data. It will take some time. I am still unsure what it was, but there is much information to sift through. I will contact you when I have some conclusive evidence." and she shut off her combadge signal as if dismissing the Captain.  
  
Nothing more happened that shift. When Tom walked into their quarters later that evening, B'elanna was curious to know what happened. "Well, B'el, I'm not sure if I can tell you about the anomaly, but one wonderful thing happened!" and his eyes sparkled as he spoke.  
  
"OK, flyboy, I'll bite. What happened?" she said while rolling her eyes, recognizing the boyish excitement that he was demonstrating.  
  
"The seat belts worked! Chakotay and I were still in our chairs, and the Captain landed on her butt on the floor!", he laughed.  
  
B'elanna chuckled, "I would love to have seen see that!" and she said, "We really work well as a team, don't we, flyboy?" as she said this, she walked behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders and began to massage his neck.  
  
Tom closed his eyes in response to her ministrations, "That feels wonderful! I know, let's go to the hot tub!" and he stood up. He grabbed her hands and led her towards their bathroom with a big grin on his face.  
  
The End 


End file.
